THE CHURCH OF CHRIST

 

 

There is something significant in Christ’s explanation to the Nephites as to why the Church should be called by His name. Besides saying that it is His Church and should therefore bear His name, He explained how this can happen: “Have [you] not read the scriptures which say ye must take upon you the name of Christ, which is my name?” (3 Nephi 27:5). In other words, we are the Church and the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12; 1 Corinthians 12:12,13).

When I was a missionary, we were told that we were representatives of Jesus Christ and that we should think, speak and do what the Saviour would do because this would show the world what the Church is about.

This mandate should not be confined to missionaries only. The reputation of the Church is built upon our backs. We are the light on a hill by which others can see the way to glorify our Father which is in heaven (3 Nephi 12:14-16).

The Church is only as good as we are. The Saviour confirmed this responsibility that we bear by saying we are built upon His gospel and we should do all things in His name and then the warning, if our works are built upon the works of men or upon the works of the devil, we will have an undesired end (3 Nephi 27:9-12).

When we take upon ourselves Christ’s name, we should represent Him in what we think, say and do. When I was baptised years ago, I heard this very poignant thought: If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence? Imagine being arrested for being a Latter-Day Saint, would there be enough evidence to prove the fact?

Each Sunday as we partake of the sacrament, we renew our willingness to bear the Saviour’s name. What we do as members of His Church is a reflection of our commitment to this promise, our love and connection to Christ, and our devotion to His teachings.

As Christians we are resilient to life’s trials, we forge forward with faith, we love and sacrifice for each other, we endure persecution, we resist temptation, we don’t despair…… we are the body of Christ and we reflect His works, His character, His love and when in clouds of heaven He appears, and we stand in the shadow of His frame, we will want to hear the Saviour say:

 

I love what you have done with my name!

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Sign of the Dove by Liz Lemon Swindle)

A LIGHT ON A HILL

 

In Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount, we read that Christ said to His disciples and members of His Church: “Ye are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14) but when speaking to the Nephites, the Book of Mormon records that He said: “ I give unto you to be the light of this people” (3 Nephi 12:14).

The variation is clear, the Saviour was not saying that we are the light just by virtue of having the truth, but that we are commanded to be the light, to light the path for others to see the way to salvation by our example of good works, charitable deeds and Christ-like characters. In other words, by what we have become because we follow the Master of perfection.

This is a tall order considering many of us are struggling to live the Gospel in the first place which depletes our reservoir of self-confidence and fosters self-doubt. Some of us consider we are never good enough for someone else to follow.

One year as I studied the New Testament, I was amazed at the confidence and bravery with which Jesus, over and over, testified of himself as the Son of God and Saviour of the world. One example of this remains with me still.

During His active ministry, Jesus and his disciples celebrated the Jewish feasts, one of which was the Feast of the Tabernacles.

At the close of the first day of this feast, amid ritualist pageantry, while hymns and songs of praise were sung, the blowing trumpets and dancers holding flaming torches in their hands, four of the sons of Levi lighted the four great golden candelabras. Amid the shining light of the temple that was lighting up every court in Jerusalem dispelling the darkness, stood up Jesus and proclaimed: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). (see also The Mortal Messiah 1 by Bruce R. McConkie, p 180)

Imagine the fortitude to stand up and proclaim yourself the Saviour of the world to a people who thought you were possessed of a devil and sought to kill you (John 7:19,20). This he had to testify to the people who expected the Messiah to come as the King of Glory (Isaiah 9:6,7), knowing that they would reject the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53:11) who would come first. Was there, however, a better opportunity for Him to proclaim himself as the light of the world?

We might say that it was easy for Jesus, knowing explicitly who He was, to have the confidence to be the ultimate light on a hill, and that we mere mortals, in our weakness cannot be expected to do the same, nevertheless, the mandate stands and to make it easier, here is the key:

“The closer you draw to our Heavenly Father, the more His light and joy will shine from within you. Others will notice that there is something unique and special about you. And they will ask about it” (Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Missionary Work: Sharing What Is In Your Heart, General Conference April 2019).

Do you know of anyone who was closer to Heavenly Father than Jesus was? He repeatedly stated He and the Father are one, therefore, if there is light in one, there is light in the other. Those who believed in Christ saw this light in Him…..but this light is not exclusive to the Godhead but to all who would glorify Him that they ‘may be one’ with the Father and the Son (John 17:20,21; 3 Nephi 19:28,29).

Should the stars fall from heaven,

And the sun refuse to give its light;

Should the earth become the darkest night,

You would ever be my only guiding light.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Lord of Light by Chris Brazelton)

SALT OF THE EARTH

 

 

To be ‘the salt of the earth’ is a goal every member of the Church should strive for (3 Nephi 12:13) yet it is one we seldom think about. The ancients would have been better at it as salt was used in the Mosaic sacrificial ritual as a reminder that we should remember and preserve our covenants with God (see Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5). This admonition, however, minus the visual use of salt is issued to us today also (D&C 101:39-40).

To be ‘the salt of the earth’ was delivered through the Beatitudes in conjunction with being ‘the light of the world’, which is a clear indication of being a good example but what does being the salt of the earth really mean? And why is it used to help us remember our covenants?

One explanation is that “the saints, as the salt of the earth, are set forth to season their fellowmen, to keep society free from corruption, to help their fellow beings become wholesome, pure and acceptable before the Lord” (Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah 2, p 128). In other words, the more obedient and righteous people there are on the earth, the more spiritual energy and light for all of us to live in and be drawn to goodness.

I remember this, as an example. Some years ago, Australia was in a serious draught. The Pacific Area President told the saints that if we all paid our tithing the draught would end and shortly thereafter it did. The righteous action of the saints benefited the whole country. Why tithing though? Because tithing is one of the commandments of the baptismal covenant which yields temporal blessings.

Salt is a preservative. When we preserve our commitment to our covenants, like salt, we do not lose our spiritual quality. There is nothing that puts us on the path of spiritual corruption quicker than  abandoning our baptismal covenant because the baptismal covenant is a covenant of obedience to the commandments and the gateway to temple covenants.

Alma's first baptism at the waters of Moron was a man called Helam. The words he used as he baptised Helam took the baptismal covenant to a new level. He said: Helam, I baptise thee, having authority from the Almighty God, as a testimony that ye have entered into a covenant to serve him until you are dead...." (Mosiah 18:13). Anciently covenants were not broken even at the point of death. The meaning of the ancient ‘Covenant of Salt’ was equivalent to an ‘indissoluble covenant’.

A covenant is not just a promise but a signed contract. If you break a signed contract, you have lost your integrity and you can no longer be trusted. You have lost your savour. You are no longer the salt of the earth but are ‘good for nothing, only to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men’ (D&C 101:40). Consider the legal implications of attempting to break a signed contract in our day and age. Such a contract is binding and cannot be broken.

“That upright people who keep the commandments are the salt of the earth, none question; but we might add that the Lord Jesus himself is the Salt of the Earth. The seasoning, sanctifying, edifying, preserving, uplifting influence of his gospel keeps all the obedient from corruption and decay and sorrow” (Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah 2, p 128).

So we can say, being the salt of the earth makes us like Christ. We can also be that seasoning, edifying and uplifting influence in the world if we live His gospel. Next time you see salt on you kitchen table, remember that…..

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Light of the World by Eva Koleva Timothy)